Photo Equipment for Various Types of Shooting




 
 

 


















Do you always think about what specific photo equipment you need for shooting, or take with you everything in the arsenal? The correct answer will sound like this: a photo bag is always going for a specific type of photo session. In particular, you should consider what lenses you need to take with you so that the photo shoot is a success.

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

It is very important that you, as a photographer, pick up your equipment for a specific type of shooting, and in our article, professional British photographer Lily Sawyer, who specializes in photographing portraits and weddings, shares her tips on the tools that photographers need for various types of shooting.
Since the contents of a bag for equipment depends on what needs to be removed, Lily has a lot of bags; and you need to invest in them to reliably protect your tools.
For photo shoots, always wear at least 2 cameras (one is needed for backup just in case). Make sure you sync both cameras and the settings are the same. Also, fully charge the batteries.
In addition to the camera and lenses, Lily always takes at least 2 flashes with him, and also checks to see if there are any spare batteries (or fully charged batteries). It uses a flash diffuser to reflect light both indoors and outdoors, unless it uses the flash directly to illuminate the subject back.

Family photo shoot

For a family photo shoot, Lily prefers fixed focal length lenses, as they are usually more compact and more convenient, and in addition give clearer and clearer images.
On the other hand, good fixed focal length lenses can be heavy and expensive. Lily uses 35 mm f / 1.4G, 85 mm f / 1.8G (also available in 1.4G) and 105 mm f / 2.8G. Since they are used with a full-frame camera, the lenses respectively fix the expected focus range, that is, the 35 mm lens has an effective field of view of 35 mm. If your camera has a crop sensor with a cropping factor of, for example, 1.3x, then 35 mm will have an effective field of view of 46 mm, 50 mm will have 65 mm, and 105 mm will have 135 mm. That is why when shooting, you need to consider more space for maneuver. This is important to remember, especially when photographing in small rooms.

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

A 105 mm lens gives not only distant, but also macro potential. A macro lens works great for capturing details. You can shoot with a zoom lens - it can be more universal. For example, a 24-70 mm lens will allow you to take pictures of a wide and medium range. However, it is more bulky compared to fixed focal length lenses, especially if the lens is professional and has a fixed aperture. Better optics - heavier tools.

Event Photography

For events such as birthdays, product presentations, conferences, and the like , Lily prefers to use zoom lenses over fixed lenses. During events, there is often simply no time to constantly change lenses. The photographer will use both cameras on a dedicated strap. One camera will be from 24-70 mm and the other 70-200 mm. This is usually enough.
Lily, just in case, always carries with him a macro lens. In addition to cumbersome zooms that span a wide and long range, it uses a sleek 60mm micro lens for extreme close-ups and macro shots.

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

In addition to the above, the photographer has wireless transceivers with him to synchronize the remote on-camera flash. There is a need for a flash stand. In this case, a tripod or a universal studio stand will come in handy .

Wedding shooting

For wedding photography, at least 50 mm or 35 mm lenses will be needed. The zoom lens, in turn, at such an event helps to save valuable time and be more flexible in movement, but, as mentioned above, to the detriment of physical comfort due to its relative severity.
Put on a lens hood or UV filter to protect the equipment. Some people think that filters affect sharpness. It may be so, but what would you prefer: to have an intact lens and 99% sharpness or a broken lens and 100% sharpness? The pixel difference is really tiny.

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

Portrait photography

Portrait photography is a direction that requires a different set of lenses. For flattering images of a person, Lily Sawyer always used 85 mm for large portraits, 50 mm for medium shots and 35 mm for full-length model shooting. You may not need to use all three, so plan ahead what exactly you will shoot in order not to bring unnecessary equipment with you.

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

Again, if you want to adjust the scale during the shooting, which cannot be achieved with fixed focal length lenses, you can always use 24-70, 24-105 and 70-200. Just make sure you shoot in the range indicated above as a guide.

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

Longer focal ranges compress the background, resulting in a more flattering view compared to using a wide lens. For example, if you use 24 mm and shoot close to a person, the image will be distorted.

Landscape photography

Landscape photography is the opposite of portrait photography, and the lenses and accessories required for it are naturally different. In this case, you need wide-angle lenses such as 16-35 mm or 24 mm to take wide, visually open shots. You can also invest in a telephoto lens to take panoramic landscapes, such as mountains.
If you plan to shoot with a slow shutter speed to get soft blurry waterfalls and waves, you should buy a tripod and filters (such as ND and graduated) . This will reduce the amount of daylight entering the lens and lower the shutter speed without overexposing the image. You will also need a cable or a remote shutter to prevent camera shake when you press the shutter button.

Travel photography

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

The following tips come in handy if you need good family photos that convey the mood of your vacation. The photographer went on trips with only one lens . Once Lily took only 85 mm. On other trips - only 35 mm, 50 mm or one 60 mm. Based on this experience, the photographer now prefers a 60 mm lens (although 50 mm is also good for these purposes).

Product Shooting

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

For food photography, 24-70 and 60 mm micro lenses are great. Remote on-camera flashes, synchronizers, reflectors, softboxes for flashes, flags. When shooting small objects on a white seamless background, the use of lightboxes will help you a lot.

Interior photography

For interior photography, the photographer uses 24-70 mm and 50 mm lenses.
A 50 mm lens is not only an optimal lens that resembles the human eye (when using a full-frame camera), but also an ideal lens for separating some areas and details of space, which allows you to shoot without getting too close. When using wide-angle lenses, you have to correct quite a lot of distortion at the edges of the frame when editing.

Photo equipment for various types of shooting

Lily Sawyer uses a 24-70 mm lens to take pictures of the entire room. The results are pleasing to the eyes, a very natural look is obtained, which makes you feel that you yourself are in the room.
For more information visit our website:  https://imagesmall.com

Comments